Tried & Tested for this season..... Lalala......

It has been a very dramatic weekend in Malaysia as the 13th General elections took place and for the first time in history the turn up of voters were estimated around 10 million people which is the most so far. And most people were parading for change. So with the announcement of BN still remaining as the federal government, there were a lot of grouses and dissatisfaction from the voters. Especially since they are calling foul play as to be the reason for the current party to retain its victory. Despite the results are out, there is possibility of a rematch, or change in power in view the opposition leaders are determined to get justice. Many Malaysians wore black as a sign of protest as to how the election results were finalized, with many who were on duty confused as to how the amount written on the Form 14 and mutually agreed upon suddenly became a different number when announced by the election committee. Some were even more confused with the sudden black outs during the finalizing of vote counts, and TNB (the national electric company) claims they have nothing to do with it which made more people suspect foul play. Not to mention the appearances of ballot boxes that may have possibly fallen from the sky to side more on the ruling government. 

Since the election fever has not really subsided, I finally have some time to review some products that I have been trying out.

1. Rejuve TruWhite & Black Magic Whitening Soaps.

These are 2 whitening soaps from the same company. Black Magic has glutathione with papaya extract to help reduce inflammation. It is mainly for acne prone skin. Personally I haven't tried this one since I do not really have acne much except for the occasional hormonal spike break outs but based on what I gather from those who have tried, it does help to a certain extent especially for acne on the back and very oily skin on the face. I have been using TruWhite for the past month since I came back from Penang. It is a 100gm bar soap. Normally I am not a fan of bar soaps as the usual commercial ones give me break outs. Out of curiosity, I decided to give this a try. The soap has a very nice fragrance and on application makes the skin feel very clean. Its active ingredients are glutathione and sheep placenta extracts. It is slightly drying for those with dryer skin. After a week of using this soap, my skin does feel a little bit softer. In terms of whitening, I did notice an improvement of tan (I was really tan from Langkawi, Penang and Singapore). Fairer than I usually am? Perhaps not, but what could you expect from just a soap. Still, it does give me a softer feel, a more evener skin tone and it is very safe, even for children. Aina loves it. The retail price for this soap is roughly RM 35 +/- only, and is worth trying out. 

2. Age Defy Crystal Tomato

This is a new product in town which I found during my conference in Singapore. Crystal Tomato is a 100% vegetal extract from a special type of tomato grown in a controlled environment. The colourless caratenoid has been found to be a very potent skin whitening agent and through research and technology, they have managed to extract it into an oral form taken once daily. To make these tablets more effective, they have also included L-Cysteine which is a precursor for glutathione production in the liver to give you a more anti-oxidant effect.

Crystal Tomato™ has been scientifically proven to offer the following benefits:

1. Serves as a natural sunscreen against UVA and UVB rays to protect against UV damage, photo-oxidation and sunburn.
2. Acts as anti-oxidants to protect against free radical damage caused by environmental aggressors.
3. Contains anti-inflammatory properties against wounds and UV damage.
4. Inhibits melanin synthesis to prevent pigmentation spots from forming.
5. Reduces the melanin present in the cells including dark acne scars, freckles, dark underarms and age spots for an anti-ageing and anti-photo ageing effect.
6. Prevents DNA damage.
7. Promotes even skin tone and radiant complexion.
8. Protects and enhances the efficacy of other active ingredients and their activity.

Personally, I have been consuming this product religiously every morning and now entering my second week. The most striking difference I can see is the radiance that emits from my skin even without having to wear make-up. My skin tone seems to even out more, but pigmentations still remain. According to the literature study, it is suppose to help with pigmentation as well as it also affects the eumelanin pathway. I also notice that I do not tan as much as compared to before even without applying sunblock and this could be the sun protective effect that they mentioned about. But its only 2 weeks, I'll have to finish the box and write another review later with more explanation about the science. This product's retail price should be around RM 450 a box of 30 capsules, single tablet a day. The tablet is pretty big, but you can chew on it, it has a tomato taste actually. The product is still undergoing registration process in Malaysia. It is already registered in Singapore since last year. 

3. SRS e-Co2 Gel Mask

This is not a new product in the market. I have been using this mask on my patients for the past 4 years. as a rescue mask after doing procedures. One of the most significant case was a patient who was allergic to arbutin and developed redness and swelling over the face. She was allergic to a lot of other stuffs as well and her birthday was in 2 days. We tried the mask on her, and it help reduce the redness by 50% on the 1st application. I gave her another one to use at home and by the second day, only a slight redness that is concealable by make-up. Not only the redness disappeared, but her skin became softer and more radiant afterwards. So why does it work so well? Carbon dioxide has been known to cause blood vessels to dilate if present in a concentrated amount. When applied into the mask, the CO2 granules create a relative gradient of higher concentration of Co2, hence increases blood circulation to the area of application (usually face). It also increases local tissue metabolism and enhances the separation of oxygen from haemoglobin thus increasing tissue oxygenation. This in turn improves tissue healing and thus, the almost instant result. 

I tried out this mask last night after having a chemical peel and arbutin iontophoresis done to the face. It had a warm prickly sensation which was not uncomfortable. After the 30 minutes, we took it off and I can feel that my face felt tighter and my pores appeared smaller. Even pimples seem to have shrunk. Immediately, my skin felt very soft and smooth. Today when I woke up, my face still felt smooth and soft. The whitening effect of arbutin kicked in, hence my face did appear brighter so I can't really say it was an attribute of the mask. However, for the past couple of days, I noticed my face to be very oily when I wake up in the morning that I require Turnover to reduce the oil. This morning, my face was not  oily and I only washed it with water before sending my kids to school and chilling out in KLCC for breakfast. Even without any make up or sunblock my skin looked healthy. This mask is sold at RM 250 a piece if you would like to bring it home. If you like to try the effects yourself, you can opt for one of our rescue facials - I have taken the liberty to include this mask into some of our treatments since it has shown to be very effective.

Interested in any of the above products, feel free to contact us at  Faceworks Clinic : 03-21440080 / 014-2233236 or email your enquiries to faceworksclinic@gmail.com. For facials, please book prior appointment. Thanks.

Tried and tested........... (Part 1)

I have been super busy with so many things that sometimes I wonder what is it that is making me so busy to begin with. Well, one of the things I was up to was actually testing out supplements and products to see how good they are. So here are a list of things I have been trying and the outcome.

1. Tiox-C Glutathione and Vitamin Capsule tablets.

At first when I saw this product I was skeptical. Oral glutathione and vitamin C? But since it was provided in gelatin capsules, it would survive the acidic PH of the stomach. I took some for the clinic and some of my patients tried it out. I gave a box to my sister, and she took 10 capsules a day at different intervals. (The recommended was 2 capsules daily). In one week she was fairer than me by at least 2 shades. Anotehr patient took 4 tablets a day, and she was fairer after 2 weeks, despite spending some time in the sun over that weekend. Besides the fairness, my patients also commented on the brightness of the skin and healthier glow. So I decided to try it out, so I am currently on my 2 week and I think I am a tan lighter compared to usual. This product is from Japan but packed in Malaysia. The bovine gelatin capsules are from Pakistan, and has a Halal certification. Other benefits of this product is that it is a good anti-oxidant and was actually promoted as a supplement for detox. One box comes with 90 tablets with 150mg of vitamin C and 150mg of glutathione in each one. The price for a box is around RM 328/= which is pretty good since you have 90 tablets to take. So instead of going for vitamin C injections, you can take orally for cheaper with results. You can get this product in my clinic.

2. Linurase Serum from Phiderma

This is a new product in town called Linurase. As the name entails it is designed to erase wrinkles and lines. Fine ones that is. I have tried this product for about more than 2 weeks everyday twice daily application without fail and this is what I think about it. First of all, the product is in a serum form. It absorbs quickly within 2 minutes. Initially I had a little bit of a tingling from using this product but after a few days it felt better. After a few minutes, I do notice my wrinkles improving, even the dynamic ones. They claim to be better than botox or BTA, but after 2 weeks, I'd say that they are competitive, but you need to apply daily to get the best effect. Once you stop, the muscle action will return and expressive wrinkles will come back again. Nevertheless, it is a good alternative for people who have needle phobia or not keen to get BTA/botox done yet. Daily usage of this serum actually stalled some of the wrinkles on my forehead, until I stopped a few days ago to try out another product. The lines came back after a few days. After reading more about the active ingredient, you need to use it consistently for more than 30 days to have a lasting effect. It contains Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 which acts on the same acetyle choline receptors as bta/botox thus blocking muscle actions. Other ingredients are Hyaluronic acid, anti-oxidants and seaweed biopeptide extracts. If you are interested with this serum, you can contact my clinic and we will order for you. It is selling at RM 300/bottle which may well last up to 3 months.

3. Double X from Nutrilite

Previously being on stem cell supplements and later HCG diet has actually turned me into a pretty health freak where I am seriously into organics and reducing artificial colourings, flavours and sugar based foods. But stem cell supplements are expensive, and it would be not so ideal for people of the working class to take on a monthly basis. So I scoured the internet for solutions and I came across this particular brand of multivitamins. Nutrilite actually has the largest organic farm in the states, and has passed accreditation for few years already. (4 or more) My major turn off was the fact that it was sold under Amway which is a multi-level company. However, being a curious and caring doctor, I decided to search for it anyway and give my opinion on it. I have been taking this vitamin for almost a month now and for what it is, it is super affordable. (RM 150 per box of 62 X 3 tablets for non Amway members). What I felt after taking these vitamins is that my energy level came up again, despite my super busy schedule. I looked less tired and these changes started perhaps after a few days after taking them twice daily and after a week I felt healthier. What I really like about it is the fact that they divide 2 separate doses in a day which is actually what is recommended by all Nutritionists and dieticians since 3 years ago. The reason for this is that the gut has a saturation level for all nutrients so if you were to take too high a dose at a time, you will only absorb as much as the saturated level allows thus wasting the vitamin. Another good thing is that they separate vitamins from minerals which allows accurate concentrations to be achieved since in processing a lot of the minerals get binded by the vitamins - e.g. sodium to vitamin c - ascorbate and others. They even added a third component which is more of a traditional preparation but known to have good benefits like cranberry extracts, apple extracts, etc as anti-oxidants to complete the multivitamin. The only thing is, you cannot take this on a completely empty stomach since when I tried, there was some reflux felt, so I'd recommend some food before taking them, but definitely not on a full stomach. Another downside would be having to swallow 3 hard tablets which I know there are some people who do not like popping pills. But otherwise, this is certainly a keeper to maintain on a daily basis for good health. Personally I do not sell this, but if you are interested to get some you can contact my clinic and we will get you in touch with my friend Ed.

These are but a few of the other things I've been testing. I welcome any feedback or comments.

For more information or if you would like to try out these products you can contact my clinic at 03-21440080 or email to info@faceworksclinic.com.

Arm Pit Whitening.......

Scott McGregor

Arm Pits have always been an object of obsession for a lot of women, and men too. I think the funniest trivia about arm pits is that a woman can smell out their soul mates by sniffing the partner's armpit. How true is this trivia, I have yet to discover. But the explanation given was that all humans produce different smells of feromones and that the armpit is one of the most concentrated feromone scented areas. Hence, if the smell appeals to the woman, then likely for the two to get together and stay together. At least it is more civil than Ally McBeal's butt sniffing.

Coming to the subject of armpits, many women prefer to have hairless armpits and thus you see the bloom of all the creams, waxing, IPL and Laser treatments to reduce hair in the armpits. Still another problem remains that is dark arm pits despite not having any hair. Especially when you are Asian with Skin Type 4 (like a dark chinese, a Malay or a light Indian) and a high risk of getting pigmentation or dark spots with any form of irritation to your skin (otherwise known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), you will notice that your armpits darken easily. The worst part is because this skintype is prone to discolouration and it is fair enough to see.

So Why do we get dark arm-pits to begin with?

Cause No 1: Arm pit hair shaving.

When we shave off our armpit hair, we leave residual hair inside the skin, and thus will give a dark discolouration of the skin above. A better way is to either wax or go for IPL or Laser hair removal to even get rid of the subsurfaced hair.

Cause No 2: Build up of dead skin especially inside the folds. 

This is a situation where a soft loofah is actually useful. Other ways to help tackle this are scrubs, washes containing lactic acids, etc. You can also walk into your dermatologist/aesthetic physician's office and get a peel done. The armpits are just like other parts of your skin, does require some rejuvenating treatment to make it look better.

Cause No 3: The use of chemicals that react to the skin such as perfumes and deodorants.

I personally find the roll ons to be quite a culprit so I've actually switched to sprays which seem to have less darkening effect. However, stopping the use of the substance doesn't seem to make the armpit lighter, so treatment is still warranted. 

Cause No 4: Acanthosis Nigricans.

I remembered when I was a student, this was one of the clinical signs that I really look for in a patient. So what is Acanthosis Nigricans. According to Pub Med Online Acanthosis nigricans is a skin disorder in which there is darker, thick, velvety skin in body folds and creases. and thus, it also involves the armpits. It is commonly seen obesity-related diabetes and people of African descent. However, it can also occur in normal healthy people and there are some who genetically inherits them. It occurs slowly over time, and treatment is mainly by controlling the underlying disease or asking the person to loose weight. A Q-switch Laser maybe able to help reduce the appearance of it.

Cause No 5: Hyperpigmentation.

This occurs when the melanin production in the skin increases. For armpit areas, constant rubbing of the skin can lead to slight inflammation leading to hyperpigmentation. This is pretty common in people with loose skin over the arms, or people who sweat a lot and prone to PIH (usually skin type 4-5). You will also notice this in pregnant ladies due to high progesterone hormones thus leading to higher incidence of melasma and increase pigmentation in folded areas. Treatment will help whiten the armpits, but other measures like wearing clothes that are not too tight to reduce friction, using aluminium oxide for perspiration control and avoiding things that irritant the skin to reduce inflammation is warranted in the long run.

So how can I improve how my armpits look?

Once your armpits are darkened and cannot be lightened by rubbing in the shower, it means that you need to come in for treatment to help reduce the problem. A single treatment will lighten the arm pit but repeated treatment is required to achieve best results. Check out Faceworks Clinic April Promotions for Arm Pit Whitening treatments : http://faceworksclinic.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-promotions-not-to-be-missed.html for our treatemnt against dark arm pits.

Once treated, you need to maintain the armpits by using moisturizers and proper deodorants taht does not darken your arm pits again. I normally use my face lightening creams in my arm pits too for maintenance.

For more information or to book appointment do call us at 03-21440080 or email to info@faceworksclinic.com - Please leave your name and phone number and we will call to answer your enquiry or to confirm the appointment.

 

What's up with Vitamin C?

I have been asked about this question a couple of times, so I've decided to write about it in my blog. A lot of people wanted to know whether Vitamin C actually works.

After going through a few papers and a few professional opinions, this is what I have managed to gather:

Benefits of Vitamin C

1. Reduces fine wrinkles around eyes and mouth.
2. Improve skin hydration.
3. Improve pigmentation appearance and age spots.
4. Improves wound healing through fibroblast stimulation nad migration.
5. Increases capacity of fibroblasts to repair potentially mutagenic DNA lesions.
6. Prevents scurvy.
7. Potent anti-oxidant that protects skin from UVA oxygen radicals.

However bear in mind that:

1. Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is pretty unstable and oxidizes easier when exposed to air.

Because of this, most vitamin C preparations have a pretty short shelf life and usually will change colour after a few months if stabilizing agents are not added in. An oxidized form of vitamin C is sometimes more harmful to skin and may cause sensitivity. An easy tip to keep it stabilize is to keep the bottle sealed tight, away from sunlight and chilled in the fridge.

2. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin whereas the skin is protected by water by our keratinized layer.

Because of this, you need to be very careful when selecting vitamin C creams or gels to ensure that absorption can occur. Look for products which are lipophilic as it will absorb better into the deeper layers of the skin.

3. Topical Vitamin C has shown to have more benefits towards skin health compared to other methods, although oral vitamin C of 1000 mg daily is sufficient to maintain good health and good skin. Never exceed 2000mg daily as this will lead to vitamin C toxicity which gives you an orange discolouration of the skin, and some have reported renal side effects.

So what would I recommend for a good topical vitamin C?

Obagi has just launched its new range of Vitamin C + Hydroquinone 4% for whitening effect. So far I have been using this serum for the past 1 month and have noticed a significant increase in radiance. Recently, they launched another product which replaces the hydroquinone with Arbutin instead, thus making long term usage possible. Although I do admit these serum are not exactly cheap, but one bottle would last you a good 3 months with the benefits of vitamin C and enhanced whitening. There are also topical vitamin C ranges from 5%-20% for those who are looking for only vitamin C.

For more information, contact us at info@faceworksclinic.com or call 03-21440080.